Saturday, April 25, 2009

270 day post transplant visit

I have been feeling better lately on the new drug regimen. I found that Citracel comes in a tablet form and that has made a big difference in my stomach problems. Gary and I took a long bike ride on Saturday, and I didn't get tired or nauseated. I feel back to normal.

Twice now, I have given a talk about my islet cell transplant experience at the community college where I teach a microbiology lab. I have really enjoyed doing that. The students seemed very interested. Of course, no one had ever heard of the topic before, and it was rewarding for me to be able to share my experience. It feels somehow important that I do that. In my research for the presentation, I found that I am one of only about 300 people in the world who have had this done.

I had my 270 day visit in Minneapolis on Tuesday. As usual, I enjoyed myself. The whole staff is just so supportive and so interested to hear how I am doing. I have a steady stream of people coming in to visit or that have some business with me. I really feel that I am part of a big project and since the project seems to be going so well, it makes it all the more exciting. I was happy to report that I have adapted to the new drugs. It sounds like all of the patients in this drug protocol are having similar experiences.

I had a nice walk by the river and lunch with a few of the people on the staff. It was just great. The only bad thing that happened was that the airline almost lost my carry-on on the way home. That sound like it should be impossible, but it is not. I have to have some bad travel luck I guess.

I have not got all of my lab results back yet, but my A1c is 5.6 which is phenomenal. I guess my new islets like the new drugs just fine.

About Me

I had an islet cell transplant in 2008 at the Schulze Diabetes Institute in Minneapolis. I enjoyed 2 years of freedom from insulin. Now, I take a small dose and continue to feel healthy and grateful for this opportunity.

Welcome

My blog is designed to give an inside look at what is involved in the experience of having an islet cell transplant. I feel very fortunate to be in the position to share what I have learned and welcome any questions or comments.